Here are some additional technical suggestions... some may seem obvious to some of you, but bear with me -- many students have never done a term paper.  The stress on technical issues may also seem to some to be picky (i.e., "this is not an English class!") But believe me -- later in your college career these things will simply be expected, and you will look bad if you do not follow "normal" writing forms.

Research Help Page                                 Strategies for Essay Exams

Obvious stuff: Double space; normal margins; normal sized fonts; number pages; and of course remember name, title, course name/number...

Grammatical errors and spelling count. Use spell check programs as a first cut, but always re-read and check your draft. Write in complete sentences and use structure (see below).

Try to smooth out awkward places in your writing, and turn in your best effort-not a last-minute "quick" job done the night before. Most Profs. can usually spot these.

Bibliography and Notes: Both are MANDATORY on all term papers.
*** Start with at least number of sources required for the assignment
*** Aim for quality sources. For example, The New York Times beats The Reading Times

Bibliography:
 Always put in alphabetical order by AUTHOR'S LAST NAME.
 Typical form:
 Smith, Joanne. "Lugar Drops Out." The New York Times, 1 March 1996, A1, A3.
 Article titles in quotes; title of journal/newspaper/book underlined.
 If no author is listed -- simply start with title, and alphabetize using that.
 
Questions about form? Consult the How to Make a Bibliography page or the optional Turabian book (at bookstore).

Notes:
Form:
 

 Option 1: Numbered cites. Form for notes same as bibliography, but add page number.  Type at bottom of page (footnotes) or on separate page just before bibliography (end notes)

 Option 2: In text citations. In square brackets at site of quote, just enough to -find source in bibliography. For example, for above cite: [Smith, A3]
 

 1. ALL direct quotes (in quotation marks, or single-spaced and indented if longer than 3 lines). This includes words from a speaker OR words you copy from any source.
 2. "Odd" phrases/words etc. For ex., foreign words, technical terms, exact names of obscure people.
 3. Specific numbers, statistics, dates. For ex., "The Ottoman Turks invaded Europe during the Middle Ages" (or even "during the 1400's") -- no cite. "Sarajevo fell to the Austrians on August 19, 1878" -- CITE NEEDED.

Remember Plagiarism rules.  If you are not certain of them, go to Penn State's Plagiarism Page. If your paper is over half quotes and shows no thought on your part, it is not your work-even if the quotes are cited.

Why are bibliography and notes so important? Reader must be able to follow and check your research -- to understand it, use it, and build on it.
 
Structure:
It is a good idea to write an outline to guide your work and give a structure to follow.
 
The classic three part structure of a paper is as follows:
 

 1. Introduction: should state your "thesis" (i.e., the "point" of your paper), and then explain the structure you will follow.
  2. Body: carries out the structure outlined in the introduction, in order, without added paragraphs which do not fit. Each paragraph should cover a self-contained topic, with its own short intro. and conclusion (one sentence each). Paragraphs of over one page are too long.
  3. Conclusion: sums up the major points and shows that you have delivered on your thesis statement.  This structure may seem repetitive. ("Tell them what you will tell them, then tell them, then tell them what you've told them"). However, esp. on longer papers, it is vital. You should pretend that YOU were reading your paper BEFORE THIS CLASS STARTED. Would you have understood it then? If not, you may have an unclear structure or too many technical terms.

Political Science Essay Exams: Strategies, Tactics and Techniques

I. Read the question carefully, and be sure you understand it.  No matter how well written, informative or original your essay, it will be-evaluated, first and foremost, on how well it answers the question.

A. Political Science essay questions are usually broad, general and open-ended. However, the question will inevitably require you to take a stand on a basic issue or set of issues (concrete or conceptual). Therefore...
B. First you must be sure you understand what issue(s) the question requires you to deal with. This may obvious and explicit in the question, or it may be implied by the choice of topic or wording of the question. Second you must adopt and clearly state a position on the issue(s).
C. The above two steps are indispensable because:

1. Recognizing the concerns of the question allows you to place workable limits on what would otherwise be a vast and unmanageable body of information. Remember, you always have time and/or space limitations.
2. Stating a position informs your choice of the particular bits of information (concepts, structures, historical, social and economic factors, etc.) you need to bring into your discussion. In other words, it is not desirable or possible to tell the entire story but it is desirable and possible to tell the story you want to tell (based on the requirements of the question).
3. You can best display your knowledge and understanding of the course material, not simply by regurgitating it, but by selecting aspects of it that help you make and support a reasoned, intelligible and intelligent argument.
 

A. An argument in not simply a set of assertions. it is not enough to proclaim your opinion, you must explain why you see things that way, and how your perspective derives from concrete, observable data, and/or the analysis of authoritative sources on the subject. Argument = assertion + evidence.
B. A good strategy for constructing an argument is to move from the general to the specific.

1. The question will usually address itself to a broad issue or concept and then -- by implication or explicitly -- ask you to deal with a number of subordinate related issues or concepts.
2. Your introduction should be a general statement of the argument you intend to make -- i.e. your position on the basic issue.
3. The body of your essay will then be in support of this position based on:

a. taking consistent and supporting positions on the subordinate issues identified or implied by the question;
b. supporting these positions with references to concrete political, social and historical factors, and/or authoritative interpretations from recognized sources.

1. Do not go off on tangents of simple description. Be selective about the particular information you discuss. You should be able to justify its inclusion in terms of the argument you are making.
2. Reference to authoritative sources is useful but may be a relatively weak support for your argument. Just because one of the assigned readings says it doesn't necessarily mean that it is the only valid interpretation.

C. it is expected that you be familiar with all assigned materials.

1. if you are supposed to know it, and it seems relevant to your argument, you will probably want to mention it.
2. if it can be used to refute or weaken your argument, you will probably need to mention it.
3. At times it may be necessary to mention and refute contending arguments; especially if the position you are defending is controversial or unconventional.
4. Your conclusion should integrate the separate, supporting arguments into the more general argument proposed in your introduction.

a. in the introduction you proclaim what you are going to say.
b. in the body of the essay you say it and support it.
c. in the conclusion you proclaim that you have said it, and briefly review how you did it.
 

A. Make an outline "Take-homes" will allow for a more formal and detailed outline than in-class exams.

1. The structure of an outline is a good schematic for  the structure of an argument.
2. An outline serves as a checklist to insure that you have covered all the points you wanted to make. This is especially helpful for in-class exams.

B. Try not to obscure your argument with extraneous information.

1. Do not feel compelled to mention something just because you know it. You may distract the reader with information that is not relevant to the question while receiving no additional credit for your effort.
2. However, a vital issue or piece of information that does not fit into your argument, probably  indicates that there is something wrong with your argument, and should lead you to rethink or modify your position.

C. Read and edit your essay for clarity and soundness of argument.

1. Have you actually written what you intended to write?  Might your position be easily misinterpreted? Are you taking too much for granted on the part of the reader? Are you over-explaining or repeating a point?
2. For each major point you make ask yourself if it is well supported and convincing. Are you satisfied that you have a concrete defense for your position against contending interpretations, above and beyond a forceful statement (or restatement) of your opinion?
3.  Make sure that your writing is clear, unambiguous, and free of serious grammatical or spelling errors. Make sure that your essay is well organized.

a. There should be an introduction, a body, and a conclusion.
b. Subordinate arguments should follow more general arguments. Supporting information should follow the particular statement it refers to.

4. Remember, your essay is usually one of many that must be read and graded in a short period of time. If you focus on the question, write and organize clearly, some of your other sins may be forgiven.